All About Jesus
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
We live in a country where individualism is prized. The more unique
you are, or the more willing you are to make your own way in the world, the better
you’ll do. That’s good for a lot of things, but it’s not very good for
Christians in our walk of faith. Our faith is at its strongest when we partake
of communion with Christ and His Church. But it’s all too tempting to believe
that we can survive the temptations of the devil, the world, and our own sinful
flesh by our own strength.
John the Baptist knows a thing or two about the temptations
we feel: the temptation of pride; the temptation to believe that isolation is
good. Didn’t he survive very well on his own in the wilderness? He made his own
clothing of skins and lived on a diet of locusts and honey. He didn’t need
disciples; they sought him out. And then there were the other people who sought
him out. The Jews sent Levites to John, and they treated him like he was
someone special. They played to his pride with the questions they asked. They
thought he was the Christ or the resurrected Elijah or the great Prophet. That
kind of attention would go a long way in polite society.
But John does not want to take the focus off Christ. He
doesn’t want people talking about John or his preaching or his baptism. He
doesn’t want his message lost in all the noise about himself. But most of all,
John doesn’t want to miss out on being a member of Christ and his holy Body. So
he will sacrifice everything about himself so that he doesn’t lose his portion
of the kingdom of heaven.
John models true humility for us as we approach the
celebration of our Lord’s holy birth. How can we celebrate the advent of our
Savior if we think we don’t need him? How can we receive this Christ and
Messiah in our vulnerable flesh if we will not deny ourselves? How can we
worship Christ as King if we still cling to the notion that we can live on our
own? How can we glorify God for His goodwill toward us and His merciful peace
in the Sacrament if we think we can live apart from His holy Body?
St. John
is telling those Levites that it’s all about Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world. It’s all about this Jesus who both existed before I
did, and who now comes after me. It’s all about this Jesus whose sandal straps
I’m not worthy to untie. He must increase, and I must decrease. He must be the
One you talk about and talk to, not me. For your hopes are false if you pin
them to anyone or anything other than Him and His holy Body which is His holy
Church. That is why John baptized and preached: not to make a name for himself,
but to point to the Coming One, so that others might be washed in His saving
Blood, and cling to Christ, and commune in Him, and live in His holy Body as He
safely takes us through this life into the kingdom of heaven.
God grant unto us the Holy Spirit, that we may receive true
humbleness of heart. And in our prayer, let us strive together to shed our lone-wolf
status, our pride of distinction and individuality, and instead endeavor to
come into closer communion with Christ’s holy Body. For that is how Our Lord’s
salvation is bestowed—not through our own merit or worthiness, but by the mercy
of God in His Holy Spirit. You have nothing of your own that makes you worthy.
But thanks be to God, for Jesus is everything for you: your truth, your life,
and your eternal salvation. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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